An enormously wealthy older woman returns to her former hometown with a dreadful bargain: she wants the townspeople to kill the man who got her pregnant, then jilted her. In exchange, she will provide enough money to revitalize the decrepit town. The townspeople eventually agree. He was Claire's lover when they were young, and agrees with the mayor that the task of convincing her to make a donation should fall to him.
After settling into the hotel, Claire joins the rest of the town, who have gathered outside for a homecoming celebration. Claire takes the opportunity to announce that she will make a huge donation: one billion presumably Swiss francs , half for the town and half to be shared among the families.
The townspeople are overjoyed, but their happiness is damped when Claire's butler steps forward to reveal her condition for the donation. In the suit, Alfred produced two false witnesses who have since been transformed into Claire's eunuchs , and the court ruled in his favor.
Socially disgraced, Claire was exiled, lost the child and eventually met a wealthy client while working as a prostitute in the city. Her donation is conditional on someone killing Alfred. The mayor refuses and the town seems aghast, but Claire says that she will wait. As time passes, Alfred becomes increasingly paranoid as he sees everyone purchasing especially costly items on credit in his shop.
Alfred visits the police officer and the mayor, who have also bought new expensive items, and they dismiss his concerns. He then visits the priest, who attempts to calm him, but finally admits they have been paid off, and advises Alfred to flee. Alfred heads to the railway station to escape, but finds that the entire town is gathered there. They ask him where he is going, and he says that he is planning to move to Australia. The train arrives, but he decides not to board, believing that someone will stop him anyway.
